Ethics Communication Bulletin (July 2023)

July 2023

New staff to our team and the Vice-Principal Research Portfolio

Meera Sidhu, Research Ethics Manager, has a PMP (Project Management Professional) certification and a Masters or Science degree in Neuroscience from Wayne State University. Meera has over 6 years of experience as a research ethics coordinator and over 8 years of experience in building robust service programs. Serving as SME in research involving human participants, Meera ensures that stakeholders are aware of the ongoing consent process, regulatory guidelines and polices/procedures that govern research.

Jaqueline Silva PhD, Research Ethics Coordinator, completed her BSc in Biological Sciences in 2008, MSc of Immunology in 2010 and PhD in Immunology in 2015 at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. After completing her graduate studies, Jaqueline moved to Canada to become a postdoctoral fellow at 成人大片, and was promoted to Research Associate after 2 years. During her appointment, Jaqueline had her first contact with policies, regulations and protocols that govern the conduct of research and decided that this was the career path she wanted to follow. Jaqueline then joined the Research of Ethics and Compliance as an Ethics Coordinator hoping that she can contribute to Queen's mission of advancing research through discovery and discourse that is founded on equity and diversity.

Aaron Rose, Research Training Officer, Aaron began his own postsecondary journey in the Fine Art program at Georgian College, completing his BFA at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University and later his MFA at the Vermont College of Fine Art. Aaron returned to Georgian, to teach, for more than a decade before taking on the role of program coordinator for the Art and Design Foundation program at Loyalist College. Aaron returned to postsecondary, completing the MA Arts Leadership program at Queen鈥檚 and spent time working in the Advancement department at the Canadian Museum of Nature. Eager to continue engaging with education and valuing well designed learning experiences Aaron became a student yet again, this time with a focus on the discipline of Instructional Design. Aaron is will be contributing to the work of the REB in a meaningful way as he will be heading up the development and roll out of educational training videos, resources and onboarding of our new researchers at Queen鈥檚 into the world of ethics.

Queen鈥檚 University Research Ethics Boards Annual Retreat:

The Queen鈥檚 General Research Ethics Board (GREB), Health Sciences and Affiliated Teaching Hospitals REB (HSREB) and Unit REBs met in May for a morning of education and discussion on topics relevant to human participant research ethics.

Topics included emerging issues of concern around research security and data privacy, considerations for social media use in the context of recruitment and data collection, broad consent policies, and common 鈥渞oadblocks鈥 in the application review process.

Excellent discussion was had, and it was a fantastic opportunity to put faces to names, socialize, and learn from each other. We look forward to our next retreat and are grateful to the VPR鈥檚 Portfolio for facilitating this event.

Upcoming Guidelines and Policies:

Research Ethics is hard at work reviewing, revising, and developing guidance for researchers at Queen鈥檚. As such, please keep an eye out in the near future for updated policies related to Social Media (recruitment and data collection), revised SOPs, infographics on delegated vs. full board review processes, and more 鈥 including an REB Handbook! We hope to continue to provide our faculty and study teams with the resources necessary to guide you through the ethics review processes at Queen鈥檚.

N2 Update

Early this year, Queen鈥檚 became a member of N2 Canada 鈥 鈥渁 not-for-profit incorporated organization and an alliance of Canadian research networks and organizations working to enhance national clinical research capability and capacity.鈥 In addition to having its own resources available on its website ( 鈥 please reach out to us for login access), this membership grants us access to training offered through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI). Courses included in our package include:

  • Good Clinical Practice Basic
  • Good Clinical Practice Refresher
  • Health Canada Division 5 鈥 Drugs for Clinical Trials involving Humans
  • Responsible Conduct of Research Mega Course
  • Transportation of Dangerous Goods / International Air Transport Association

Additional courses can be added if there is sufficient interest. Registering for an account is easy to do but let us know if you run into trouble. Your Organization Affiliation is listed as 鈥淨ueen鈥檚 University (N2).鈥

 

Informed consent practices in clinical research: present and future

Tasha Jawa, HSREB board member recently published an article entitled: 鈥淚nformed consent practices in clinical research: present and future鈥. 

Abstract
Clinical research must balance the need for ambitious recruitment with protecting participants' autonomy; a requirement of which is informed consent. Despite efforts to improve the informed consent process, participants are seldom provided sufficient information regarding research, hindering their ability to make informed decisions. These issues are particularly pervasive among patients experiencing acute illness or neurological impairment, both of which may impede their capacity to provide consent. There is a critical need to understand the components, requirements, and methods of obtaining true informed consent to achieve the vast numbers required for meaningful research. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the tenets underlying informed consent in research, including the assessment of capacity to consent, considerations for patients unable to consent, when to seek consent from substitute decision-makers, and consent under special circumstances. Various methods for obtaining informed consent are addressed, along with strategies for balancing recruitment and consent.

View a PDF copy of the article (PDF 515 KB)